Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-09-17
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To.DAY,s TELEGsAp1a1C NEWS.
The Constitutional Centennial.

the third and last day of the Centen-
NAL celebration. 1t was memorial day."
Over one of the triumphal arches which
span Chestnut street are displayed in bold
letters the famous words of John Bright,
"All the civilized world, all who love free
dom must regard the event as one of the
i most important in the annals of men," and
this seemed to be the popular sentiment.
President Cleveland was at home to the
people from nine o'clock this morning until
half past ten when he stood in the Commits
sioners' room in the east wing Of the City
Hall, at Broad and Market streets, and
shook the hands of young and old, rich and
poor as they passed in continuous procession
before him. After the reception the Presi.
dent, and those accompanying him, repaired
to Independence Square, where the memo
rial services were to be held, and after pray.
er by Cardinal Gibbons and Bishop Potter
Mr.. Cleveland spoke as follows
II deem it very great honor and pleas
urs to participate in these impressive exer
cises. Every American citizen should on
| this Centennial day rejoice in his citizen
ship. He will not find the cause of his re-
oicng in the antiquity Of his country, for
among the nations of the earth his stands
with the youngest. He will not find it in
the glitter and the pomp that bedeck mon
arch and dazzle abject and servile subjects,
for in his country the people themselves are
rulers. He will not find it in the story of
bloody foreign conquests, for his govern.
| ment has been content to care for its own
domain and people. He should rejoic, be.
Cause tho work OF framing our Constitution
{ t7as completed one hundred years ago to.
I CAV, and also because, when completed, it
established free government. He should
4 rejoice because this Constitution aud gov.
ernment have survived so long, aud also be-
cause they have survived with so many bleS-
sings and have demonstrated SO fully the
strength and value of popular rule. He
| should rejoice in the wontrous growth and
| achievements OF the past one hundred years,
and also in the glorious promise CT the con
| stitution through centuries 10 come We
shall fail to be duly thankful for all that was
done for US one hundred years ago unless
we realize the difficulties of the work then
in hand and the dangers avoided in the task
of forming more perfect union between
disjointcd and inharmonious States. with in
terests and opinions radically diverse aud
stubbornly maintained. The perplexitiea Of
the convention which undertook the labor
| of preparing cur Constitution are apparent
in these earnest words of one of the mos5 il
lustrous of its members: The small pro-
gress we have made after four or five weeks
| of close attendance and continued reasonings
with each other, our different sentiments en-
almost every question-saveral of the last
producing as many noes as yeas-is, me-
thinks, melancholy proof Of the upper.
lection of the human understanding. We
| indeed seem to feel tho need Of cur own
want of political wisdom, since we have been
running about in search OF it. We have
gone back to ancient history for models OF
government, and examined the different
forms of those republics which having been
| formed with the seeds of their own dissoI
| ton now 20 longer exist. In this situation
| of this assembly, grouping as it were in the
dark to find political truth, and scarce able
| to distinguish it when presented to us, how
| has it happened sir, that we have not here
| tofore once thought of humbly applying 10
| the father of Light to illuminate our under
standings?' And This wise man proposing
TO his fellows that the aid and blessing of
| God should be invoked in their extremity,
declared 4 have lived cir, long time,
and the longer live the more convincing
proofs see of the truth that God governs
in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow can
not fall to the ground without His notice il
it probable that an empire can rise without
! his aid? We have been assured, sir, in the
sacred writings that except the Lord build
the house, they labor in vain that build it,
firmly believe this; and also believe that
without his concurring aid we shall succeed
in this political building no better than the
builders of Babel We shall be divided by
our little partial, local interests, our pro
| iects will be confounded, and We ourselves
shall become reproach and by-word down
| to future ages and, what is worse, man
kind may hereafter from this unfortunate
| instance, despair of establishing govern
ments By human wisdom and leave it 10
chance, war and conquest In the face of
all discouragements, the fathers of the re
public labored on for four long, weary
months, in alternate hope and fear, but al
ways with rugged resolve.never faltering in
sturdy endeavor sanctifed by q prophetic
sense of the value to posterity of their sue
cess, and always with un1inching faith
in the principles which make the
foundation of government by the people.
At last their task was DONE 1t IL related
that upon the back of the chair occupied by
Washington as the President of the con
vention sun was painted, aud that as the
delegates were signing the completed con
sttution one of them said :: Il have often and |
often, in the course OF the session, and in
the solicilude of my hopes and fears as to
its issue, looked ct that behind the President
without being able to tell whether it was
rising or setting, but noy at length 1 know
that it is rising and not q setting SUM-.
We stand to day on the spot where This ris
ing sun emerged from political night and
darkness; and in its own bright meridian
light we mark its glorious way. Clouds
have sometimes obscured itsrays, and dread
ful storms have made US fear; but God has
held it in its course, and through its life-giv.
ing warmth has performed his latest mir
acle in the creation of this wondrous land
and nennle. Az we look down the pasL cen.